Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-06-30
LOCAL PRIDE.

Local pride, or pride of locality, is one
of those natural conceits-natural to the
majority Of intelligent, well-poised men
and women-which is not only respected,
but which is beneficial both to its possess
or and to the community which is its OBJ
ject and the sphere of its exercise.
Local pride, in its broadcast and best
sense, is patriOtism-that love of a par
ticular portion of the earth which, of all
others in the world, is most preferred and
best loved by man, and which leads him
to defend that country, and to foster and
promote its interests. In its next sense
it is State pride, and last or first, as you
choose, it is love of that one country or
town which he calls home, the place
where he resides, where his family and
friends and business are, with whose
growth, development, prosperity or no
prosperity. he is directly and personally
identified, and, which is much or little,
or nothing, prominent or obscure, ac-
cording as he, in common with others,
strives to make it.
A man without local pride, who does
not think more of his own town than of
any town on earth, who has no prefer
ence of locality, who is Indifferent where
he resides, who is as much at home in
one place as in another, who on leaving
his town is not particularly anxious to
return to it, who never gets homesick to
see the "old'' town, who is in no special
sense attached to it, is tramp, an in
tinerant sort of vagabond, and who,
because of this want of pride of locality
is to considerable extent useless cit
izen, man who cannot be counted on to
join with others in making the locality
where he abides the best town in the
state.
A man destitute of local pride is very
apt, rs We have intimated. to be tran
silent, not permanent citizen; like the
Arab, he is ready when it suits his con-
venience or interests 'to fold his tent and
steal away" His tent stakes are not Sc
curely driven, and his equipage is usually
Of such portable character that he can
pull up at an hours notice and go to the
next place.
Such a man, without strong local pride,
or local pride in any degree, is not in
terested as others are in the thousand and
one schemes, enterprises and projects
which are set on foot to develop town.
1t is immaterial to such an one whether
his town be first class or tenth class;
whether it be we'll paved or not paved at
all; whether it be we'll sidewalked or not
sidewalked at all; whether its general
appearance be attractive or repulsive;
whether its population increase or stand
still; whether his neighbors and towns
men better their material or social con-
dition or not; whether, in short, the
town into which he may have drifted,
and from which he is too indOlent or too
unenterprising to depart, booms or de-
Gays.
Aside from all other motives that move
men in such things, local pride is pow
erful incentive to enterprise'and progress,
and it is sentiment which is susceptible
of cultivation and of almost indefinite ex
pansiOn.
To cherish, cultivate and exercise To-
cal pride in an intelligent and sensible
manner is the duty of every citizen. 1t
is an aspiration, legitimate force, a
wholesome impulsion. 1t pays the indi
vidual who is impelled by it, and is worth
more to any town than dozen packing
houses in an adjoining state.-The Cham
piOn.